Wish of the Honkai: Saga Eins

{22}- Reason & Fate | In the Name of the World

Oh... great.

Empire State Building has fallen.

Well, that's all according to plan.

I stood atop the ruins of the city's district. A sea of flames engulfed the 5th Avenue, but all the residents were already evacuated. I even managed to save a few tourists on the way here. Of course, I erased their memories with a Fenghuang Down mimicry. Can't exactly have my appearance be made public.

All the latent and residue Honkai energy in the air was consumed by me. I feel much better now, to the point my Reason Armour could manifest again without problem. However, the continuous attacks from the Key of Binding have limited my powers to a certain amount... and I don't know if this will affect me in the long term.

Ah, screw this.

The objectives were mostly achieved. I placed Reanna's new body next to Finn's sleeping body in a similar chamber to the one that housed the Star of Eden. They won't be able to detect anything: not Schicksal nor World Serpent, if any of them decided to try anything funny. However, unlike Otto, who I could take gambles in fighting against, I would 100% get annihilated by Kevin right now. And I don't have any intention of fighting him... yet.

Only one thing remains.

The passing of the crown.

Let's see how well our dear Joachim is playing his part.

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Joachim rushed through the rubble, stopping at nothing as he ran through the city of fire and destruction. Someone behind him yelled at him to come back, but he pay no mind to their shouts, focusing only on the goal that his hero's friend assigned to him.

I know you must be worried, and you are right to be so. So let's make a deal. How about when the plan is over, you go make sure my dear friend Welt is okay? I also need to help them, and if I don't come back, I'll be counting on you to make sure of his well-being.

The man named Gabriel is counting on him. For some reason, although he was powerful and perhaps much more so than Joyce, Joachim sensed the heart of a child within the man, something akin to his. But he decided to put that thought aside for now.

He needed to find Welt. He can't die! Not when he saved everyone...

After minutes and even more passed by, Joachim was exhausted. The ruins of the city's district were all around him, and he had zero idea where he was going or where he could go. Then he remembered the beacon of light that appeared when Joyce deployed his barrier, and he struggled to remember where it came from.

...

...

...There!

Joachim rushed towards a particular structure that somehow remained intact, amid several shattered houses. And sure enough, his intuition was correct: beneath the tower, on the rubble, laid Welt Joyce, who slowly breathed as he tried to heal his wound caused by the Key of Binding, but to no avail. His Honkai Energy reserves were already depleted when he made that barrier, something that even Void Archives is not capable of doing.

"Welt!" Joachim rushed over to his hero, who, upon noticing his presence, opened his eyes and sighed.

"Joachim... why are you here?"

"Your friend told me that you probably would need help, so here I am!"

"Heh... Gabriel? Where is he now?"

"I don't know, but he said that if he doesn't come back, he'll leave you to me or something."

"Hah... he probably went off to do some heroic antics again. He thinks I don't know about his little 'people-saving expeditions' here and there, but... he won't die, that's for sure. I can't really say the same about me, to be honest..."